Filling-machine.



PATENTED AUG. 28, 1906.

H. G. BROWNELL.

FILLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 00112, 1904.

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H. G. BROWNELL.

FILLING MACHINE.

APPLIOATIOK FILED 00112, 1904.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY G. BROWNELL, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

FILLING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 28, 1906.

Application filed October 1 2. 1904. Serial No. 228,160.

Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and- State of Kentucky, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Filling-Machines, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in filling-machines used forfilling bottles, cans, jars, or other receptacles with liquid orsemiliquid matters.

The objects of my improvements are, first, to provide a mechanism forfilling the reservoir easily, regularly, uniformly, and in conjunctionwith the operation of the machine; second, to provide a means forstarting or stopping the flow of the matter being filled into thereservoir, said means operating simultaneously and in conjunction withthe device used for shifting the reservoir third, to provide a simpleand convenient means for raising and lowering the partition cells;fourth, to provide a convenient overflow to the reservoir which servesto prevent overfilling of reservoir and at the same time may be used asa gage by the operator for regulating the inflow of matter proportionateto the capacity of receptacles being filled; fifth, to provide the legsor supports of the machine with convenient means for adjusting themachine to a perfect level and with means for easily raising or loweringthe roller which supports the trays containing the bottles, cans, orother receptacles being filled, and, sixth, to provide means whereby thewaste in g is reduced to a minimum and the necessity for receptacles tocatch the drip is eliminated.

I attain the objects of my invention by the mechanism illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a top plan view of mymachine. Fig. 2 is a side view in elevation of my machine. Fig. 3 is avertical longitudinal sectional view of said machine through the center.Fig. 4 is a front View of vertical crosssection through center of saidmachine.

Table A has legs 1 made of cast-iron or other material and steadied bycrosspiece 2. It is necessary to keep the machine perfectly level whenin operation, and in order to adjust same upon any floor-surface whethersmooth or uneven the legs are provided at the bottomwith ears at 3,intowhich threaded leveling-rods are screwed vertically, so that the legsmay be raised or lowered, as desired.

The legs may be provided at the bottom with casters for convenience inmoving machine.

The legs are slotted centrally and vertically,-

as shown at 36, and in these slots bolts 38 of strips 89 extend, thesestrips carrying rollers 5.

The tray or packing-case 6 in Fig. 2 containing the bottles, jars, orreceptacles 7 to be filled is inserted at the side and by means ofrollers 5 is conducted into position for filling, and the strips, bymeans of nuts 37, supporting the rollers, are adjustable to suit theheight of bottles or receptacles in the tray.

Mounted upon the legs 1 is the top of the table upon which rests thereservoir B, so-

that the upper face of top of table and the lower face of bottom ofreservoir come in perfect contact and present opposing flat and smoothsurfaces. The top of the table is provided with two series of ports 8and 9. The

ports 8 connect with the chambers 17 by channels 19 and are alinedlongitudinally on either side, and ports 9 are arranged in rows,

at uniform distances from each other.

The bottom of the reservoir is provided with a series of ports '10corresponding in number and position to those of series 9 in top oftable and its outer longitudinal rows with those of series 8 in top oftable whenin register. The reservoir is provided with means for givingit a reciprocal sliding motion upon top of table, so that its ports maybe placed in register alternately with the corresponding ports intable-top or may be shifted out of register, so that the ports of boththe reservoir and the top of table may be closed mutually by theimperforate portion of opposing member. When it is desired to fill thereservoir, it is shifted until theouter longitudinal rows of ports 10register with ports 8 of top of table, and when it is desired todischarge the matter from the reservoir into bottles or otherreceptacles being filled it is shifted so that ports 10 register withports 9 of top of table, and the ports are closed by throwing them outof register.

The ports in the reservoir and the discharge-ports 9 in table-top arecounterbored or reamed out in such a manner and depth that the surfaceof port to which matter being filled can cling is exceedingly small, anddrip is practically obviated, and the thin annular lip 4 at under edgeof discharge-ports 9 prevents the little drip from running. By providingannular lip 4, which practically constitutes a knife-edge, the surfaceto which the liquid matter may cling is greatly decreased, andconsequently when the ports are moved out of register the liquid matterin the lower port will be immediately severed, so to speak, by theknife-edge, whereas were the surface fiat the liquid matter would clingand drip. This arrangement eliminates the necessity for receptacles forcatching and carrying away the drip or waste. To allow an overflow ifreservoir is overfilled, a notch is cut in the back of reservoir at 11,opposite the lever extending down the back of reservoir a smalldistance, and may be partially or entirely closed by avertically-sliding gate. This notch and conveniently-movable gate act asa gage to indicate to the operator the proper depth to which thereservoir shall be filled, and if the matter does not run over there isa little outside reservoir 12, with outlet drain-pipe 18, from whichoverflowing liquid may be conducted away by a rubber tube or otherconvenient means.

Within the reservoir is the frame C, composed of strips 14 and 15,arranged transversely and intersecting each other in planes, so as toform a series of partition-cells of equal size and corresponding innumber with. the number of ports in reservoir. The ends of theintersecting cross-pieces 14 and 15 abut the walls of the reservoir, sothat the walls of the reservoir form two sides of each corner-cell andone side of each other marginal cell. These partition-cells serve toequalize and distribute the flow from the dis charge-ports, and therebyinsure discharge of equal quantities of matter being filled into bottlesor other receptacles placed beneath dischargeports. The frame C israised when reservoir is being filled and lowered when it is beingemptied through dischargeorts. p The means for filling the reservoirconsists of chambers 17, cast longitudinally in or under the lowersurface of table, channels 19, of uniform size, leading into sides oftable and connecting chambers 17 with ports 8 in tabletop, and areceiving-pipe 16, screwed into rear ends of chambers 17 and leadinginto same. In end pipe 16 as a sectional part thereof is a cross orglobe valve 20, which cuts off or admits the flow of matter through pipeconnection 21. The valve is normally held closed by a spring, but isopened and closed by means of a slide-rod 22, extending underneathbottom of machine and connected with lower extension 23 of lever in Fig;2 and operating concurrently with movements of lever. When it is desiredto use the machine, the matter to be filled is placed in a tank whichhas a suitable pipe connecting it with machine at pipe connection 21 invalve. This tank is elevated above the top level of machine, and byraising or lowering the tank the pressure necessary for filling thereservoir may be regulated as desired. In the forward ends of chambers17 are inserted detachable plugs 18, and in the ends of channels 19 aredetachable plugs 24. WVhen it is desired merely to drain out thechambers, it may be done by removing plugs 18 and conducting waste awayby convenient means but to cleanthe machine more thoroughly the plugs 24are removed and the whole then fiushed with water.

The movable parts of my machine are 0perated in unison by simple andconvenient means. The lever is hinged at 25 to a bracket projecting fromfront of reservoir in the center and has a lower extension 23 forming anangle with its upper portion 26, the lower end of said extensionoperating with free longitudinal play in slot 27 in the forward end ofslide-rod 22. The means F for raising and owering frame C consists ofbrackets 28, attached to sides of reservoir and supporting in theirbearings rock-shafts 29, extending across above top of reservoir. Uponthe center of-rock-shafts are mounted bell-cranks 30, and frame C isprovided with bails-31, which engage catch-notches in arms 32 ofbell-cranks. The bell-cranks are connected by connecting-rod 33, and theforward bellcrank is in turn connected to lever by connecting-rod 34,this rod passing through a collar 35 upon forward bell-crank and havingthe upper end threaded and provided with a nut for adjusting same to theproper length. Simply by operating the lever the reservoir is shifted asdesired for throwing its ports in or out of register with ports in topof table,

the frame 0 is raised or lowered as required when reservoir is beingfilled or emptied, and the lower extension of lever in connection withconnecting-rod 22 opens and closes cross or globe valve 20 for admittingor cutting off the flow of liquid or semiliquid matter from supply-tank.

In the practical operation of my machine the bottles, cans, or otherreceptacles to be filled are placed in a tray, packing-case, or otherconvenient means of carriage, which is slid over the rollers onroller-frame until there is one bottle, can, or receptacle under each.of emptying-ports 9. The liquid or semiliquid matter to be filled isplaced in an elevated tank, so that it can gravitate downward atsufficient pressure to force it through into reservoir. The reservoirbeing in position so that its ports are closed, the lever is drawnforward by operator. The first part of movement imparts backward motionto slide-rod 22, which opens valve 20, and upon rod 22 being pulledoutwardly to its limit the reservoir moves forward until its outsiderows of ports are almost in register with inlet-ports 8. Then thepartition-cells begin to rise. By concluding the forward movement oflever the partition-cells are entirely raised and the correspondingports come into register, and the matter being filled having alreadypassed through valve 20 into receiv- IIC ing-pi e 16 and from that tochambers 17 and into 0 annels 19 now passes through registering portsinto reservoir until same is filled to the extent desired. The operatorthen shoves the lever backward. At the first movement the lowerextension of lever imparts a forward movement to slide-rod 22 and closesvalve and stops the flow of matter and at the same time partially lowerspartition-cells. A little further motion lowers partition-cells entirelyby reason of the fact that the slot in slide rod in which lowerextension of lever works is large enough to allow free backlash, whichallows completion of motion of cell-partitions before reservoir ismoved. Then the movement of lever is completed, rod 22 having reachedthe limit of its inward movement, and the reservoir is shifted with saidrod as a point of fulcrum for the lever until its ports register withports 9 of tabletop, whereupon the reservoir discharges through theregistering ports, and the bottles, cans, or receptacles underneath arefilled, and the process may be repeated as desired. If the reservoircontains more matter than the capacity of the bottles or cans requires,then the discharge can instantly be cut off by shifting the reservoirlaterally until ports are out of register.

What I claim as new, and desireto protect by Letters Patent, is

1. In a device of the type set forth, a table, the top of which isformed with inlet-ports, chambers and channels, the latter leading intothe sides of the top and connecting said ports and chambers,outlet-ports in the tabletop, a receiving-pipe leading into saidchambers, a valve in the pipe, and a reservoir on the top having portsin its bottom adapted to register with said ports of the table-top.

2. In combination with a table-top having inlet and outlet ports, areservoir on the top having ports to register with said first-namedports, a lever pivoted to the reservoir, means for supplying the liquidto said inlet-ports, means for controlling said means, a rod connectedto said controlling means and having connection with the lower end ofsaid lever, movable partition-cells in the reservoir, and means operatedby said lever whereby said cells are raised out of and lowered into saidreservoir during the movements of said lever.

3. In combination with a top having inlet and outlet ports, a reservoirslidable on the top and having ports to register with those of the top,a pipe for supplying the liquid to said inlet-ports, a valve in thepipe, means to control the valve, and means connected to each of saidvalve and reservoir to operate the same.

4. In combination with a table formed withtwo sets of ports, a reservoirformed with one set of ports adapted to register alternately with saidtable-sets, means to supply and control the supply to one of the tablesets, a lever connected to said controlling means and said reservoir foroperating each of the same.

5. In combination with a table formed with ,two sets of ports, areservoir formed with one set adapted to register alternately with saidtable sets, a pi e leading into one set of said table-ports, a va ve inthe pipe, a rod for operating the valve, movable partitioncells in thereservoir, a lever having its lower end connected to said rod, and meansconnecting said lever with said cells whereby movement of the lever willbe communicated to said cells.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

HARRY G. BROWNELL.

Witnesses:

EUGENE R. ATTKISSON, O. M. FLooD.

